Westside Market Robbers Dressed as 'Security' And Holding Guns Have Hit Three Stores Including Trader Joe's: LAPD on The Hunt

The latest in a series of market robberies has authorities on alert and normally happy shiny Westsiders shaking in their Ugg boots.

It happened Wednesday night about 9:45 p.m. when three gun-toting men dressed in black "security" shirts burst into the Trader Joe's at 10850 National Boulevard in the Westside Village area and, as the manager was counting cash behind a podium, took said money and raided the registers.

Cops now say they think the trio is responsible for two other similar heists:

On Aug. 6 cops think at least one member of the trio hit Bob's Market at 1000 National Boulevard in the Palms area. One of the suspects wore a black ski mask, gloves, and a telltale shirt with "security" written in white on the back.

A four-door black Honda was seen driving away, according to an LAPD statement. In the Trader Joe's job a dark four-door was also seen getting away.

And then on Tuesday about 8:50 p.m. a suspect who police allege is the same guy hit the Overland Liquor Store, a Korean-owned mom-and-pop shop on the edge of Palms. He is said to have been joined by an accomplice in a ski mask.

The LAPD:

This time, two suspects entered the store. The first suspect, who is believed to be the same man who committed the first robbery, was wearing the exact same outfit, including a "security" shirt, and once again carrying a revolver handgun. He was followed into the store by a second suspect who did not appear to be armed. The first suspect pointed a gun at the cashier and went behind the counter with the second suspect and demanded money; then both suspects removed a couple of bottled alcoholic beverages.

This time wits described a white, four-door getaway car.

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Dennis Romero is an L.A. Weekly staff writer. He formerly worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, where he participated in Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the L.A. riots. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone online, the Guardian and, as a young stringer, the New York Times.